


Tiny Dancer

by MurdersintheMorgue



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Voldemort, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Other, idk - Freeform, lmk if i should continue, mwah, only a oneshot for now, same universe as inertia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:35:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27525457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MurdersintheMorgue/pseuds/MurdersintheMorgue
Summary: “You’re a muggleborn, Annie. He’d be nothing but rude to you if he even knew who you were.”“Do you think he’d degrade me in the bedroom?” I asked in a faux dreamy tone, and Hermione sputtered in shock, causing me to let out the giggles I’d been holding in.Of course, I knew that Draco Malfoy was never going to give me the time of day. He barely gave his own friends the time of day, and they sat next to him in every class. He was a weird kid, mean spirited, but a pretty boy. It was a shame. I felt like we could be great friends.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s), Draco Malfoy/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All my hp stories are going to take place in the same modern universe with no Voldemort. This is just a peek at what Draco's like. But I like Annie, so I could continue it if you guys like her too.

Draco was humming again.   
It was something I had noticed recently, that he did, while he was reading. I wasn't sure if he just didn't know, or if he didn't care. It seemed like his friends paid no attention, but it always caught my attention.   
"He's doing it again." I sighed as I rested my chin in my hand, watching the blonde boy from across the room.   
"Careful, Annie, someone might think you're developing a crush on Draco Malfoy." Hermione, the only person I really talked to in this class, spoke from my side. We were in potions, and she was doing most of the work while I gossiped and daydreamed next to her- as was our deal.

"I just think it's kind of cute, is all." I sighed, examining his jaw as he flipped a page carefully, still humming. "I wonder what song it is."   
"It's Tiny Dancer." Hermione said curtly. I sat up a little, and looked at her. She shrugged sheepishly. "Elton John?" She added hopefully. I laughed a little, before resuming my position, tilting my head slightly.   
"So Draco Malfoy likes Elton John." I murmured dreamily. Hermione laughed in disbelief.   
"Oh, you must stop." She cried softly. I began to hum along with Draco, and my companion smacked my arm, causing Draco to glance over at the two of us. I ducked quickly, and we looked at one another, bodies shaking with silent giggles. Draco's brow furrowed, and he gazed at us angrily before returning to his reading, and his humming.   
"It's just so cute." I cried in a desperate whisper, clapping my hands to my cheeks. Hermione snickered, covering her face with her hands.   
"You're ridiculous."   
"Oh come on, you've never thought that Draco was the teensy tiniest bit cute?"   
"No! He's absolutely vile!"   
I sighed, shaking my head.   
"I think there's more to him. He seems mysterious. Broken."  
"He's a bully." Hermione finished matter of factly. I rolled my eyes at her, but went back to gazing at the blonde boy.

"Maybe he's just hurting. Maybe he just needs someone to care for him."   
"How would he be hurting? He hurts others."  
I shook my head, tutting softly.   
"Don't you know that the meanest bullies are almost always the most abused?"  
Hermione let out a little disbelieving huff, and shook her head.   
"You're a muggleborn, Annie. He'd be nothing but rude to you if he even knew who you were."   
"Do you think he'd degrade me in the bedroom?" I asked in a faux dreamy tone, and Hermione sputtered in shock, causing me to let out the giggles I'd been holding in.   
Of course, I knew that Draco Malfoy was never going to give me the time of day. He barely gave his own friends the time of day, and they sat next to him in every class. He was a weird kid, mean spirited, but a pretty boy. It was a shame, I thought as his humming got softer when Snape reentered the classroom.   
"He does know he's doing it." I whispered to myself, and ignored Hermione's questioning glance.   
"Annie, you have to seem like you're doing something." She hissed, and I snapped my gaze towards the table, lifting my hands slowly and looking between the ingredients strewn there with careless disinterest.   
"Cut up that." Hermione was directing me as Snap approached our table. I took the knife and root dutifully, and smiled sheepishly at our professor as he hovered, watching. We worked in silence for a few moments, Hermione stirring the pot every now and then.   
"Looks good, girls." Snape drawled quietly, and we let out a simultaneous sigh as he moved on to watch other students.   
"I don't know why he always goes so easy on you." Hermione muttered as she dropped whatever I'd just cut up into the cauldron, causing it to bubble and spit.   
"Maybe it's because I am so earnest and adorable." I offered innocently, batting my lashes at my friend. She giggled, holding a hand to hide it from our teacher, who had glanced our way. I gave him a thumbs up, and he pulled a weird face, shaking his head and continuing to help the Slytherin boy before him. I noticed as I turned, that Draco's face was snapping towards the front. 

And he went back to humming. 

“Have a good lunch.” I sang to Hermione as she went to meet her Gryffindor friends, and I meandered over to the Hufflepuff table, sliding in between two dark haired boys who were arguing about Quidditch. I looked up smiling between the two of them.   
“Tell him, Annie, that obviously the best way to win is if we hit the Slytherin team from left field. They’ve never played heavy defense on left field.” One said as I reached for a plate.   
“No!” The other boy cried, “That’ll make our whole offense strat fall apart! It’d literally cost us the game.”   
“I have no idea what you guys are talking about.” I stated honestly, making eye contact with the third boy sitting across from me, who was watching the exchange with lazy interest, a book open under his elbows.   
“What do you think, Meyer?” I asked him politely. He pushed his glasses up slowly, and shook his head.   
“I, too, have no idea what they’re talking about.”   
We exchanged a playful look as the boys- brothers, a year apart, named Otis and Webb- let out exasperated sighs and shook their heads in defeat. They were still decked out in their Quidditch practice gear, and I wondered if the argument had been going on since then. I was glad it had broken, though, and was happy to be in the comfortable silence that fell into place.   
That was, until-   
“Meyer.” A voice drawled from behind us, and I turned to see the familiar face.   
“Draco Malfoy!” I said cheerfully without thinking. The boy peered down at me, face showing unabashed disinterest. I waved, and he ignored it, flicking his eyes back to my friend.   
“Meyer, do you have the notes for DADA. I wasn’t in class yesterday.”   
Meyer wordlessly took out a notebook and shook out some loose leaf pages, handing them over. Draco had to reach over me awkwardly to get them, and I made a little ‘oop’ sound, pushing into Webb to be out of the way, which caused the boy to make a noise of discomfort and elbow me in the ribs.   
“Thanks.” Draco said curtly, and turned on his heel to go.   
“Bye Draco!” I chirped after his retreating body. He paused for a moment, and turned to give me a quizzical look, before continuing on his way.   
“What was that?” Otis asked, and Meyer opened his mouth to explain before Otis shook his head, gesturing to me with a fork, “No, Annie, what was that?”   
“What was what?” I said happily as I stuck a fork into some ham. It flopped when I picked it up, and I shook it for a moment before setting it back down on the plate.   
“Since when do you talk to Draco Malfoy?”   
“She doesn’t, obviously.” Meyer said dryly, “The lad didn’t say a word to her.”   
“Yeah.” I let out a heavy sigh, placing my chin into my hands. “He never talks to me.”  
“I was pretty unaware that you'd ever tried before today.” Webb said through a mouthful of food.   
“I haven’t.” I said cheerfully, before moving to take a swig of water.   
Meyer snickered, and Otis and Webb looked at me incredulously.   
“Why, then, did you try today?” Webb’s voice was laden with genuine curiosity. I shrugged.   
“He was humming Tiny Dancer in class today.”   
“So?” Otis probed.   
“Soooo, that means he listens to Elton John.”   
There was a beat of silence.   
“So I’m in love with him!” I exclaimed. Otis and Webb groaned, and Meyer laughed, slapping a hand on the table.   
“There it is.”   
“He’s so cute.” I drawled.   
“Please don’t.” Webb muttered.   
“Not again.” Otis whined.   
“And he always smells so nice!”   
“I’m sure he does.” Meyer said in a condescending tone, turning back to the book on the table before him. Otis brought up something about Quidditch again, and they went back at it. I let my head hang heavily on my hands now, and looked down at the plate of food before me with disinterest. I’d wanted it walking in, and I had been excited about it as I put it on my plate, but now everything just seemed so… Revolting.   
“Have you drank enough water today?” Meyer asked calmly and quietly, and I looked up at him, mulling over the question.   
“No! I don’t actually think I have.” I said as I reached for my glass again.   
“That’s probably why you’re not hungry.”   
I glanced between him and the food, and smiled gratefully for his input. He ducked his face back into his book, and we were silent once again. My mind trailed back to Draco and his humming. I wondered if he had had enough water today. I wondered what he liked to eat for lunch.   
“I think I’m going to make cookies for tomorrow’s potions class.” I said aloud to nobody in particular. Meyer looked up at me.   
“Why?”   
“I think Snape would like my cookies!” I replied sweetly.   
“Is Draco in your Potions class?” Meyer said slowly, as if talking to a child. And so I pouted like one in response. He chuckled at my antics, and sighed heavily before putting his book down and looking at me square in the face. I met his steady gaze, and was surprised by the honesty I found in his blue eyes.   
“Draco’s mean, Annie. I know you have your fleeting crushes, but he could really hurt your feelings.”   
The brothers had fallen silent on either side of me, listening in.   
“Don’t see him as some weird passion project, Annie.” Webb said from my left.   
“Yeah! He isn’t some sweater you can fix, you know.” Otis said from my right. I huffed at the three of them.   
“Your guys’s distrust in me is disheartening.” I muttered.   
“I’m being serious, Annie.” Meyer was still speaking in his condescending tone, and a little ball of anger curled up in my chest. It wasn’t enough to make its way out, but it lingered there for a moment. My friends were sweethearts for sure, but they could be a little overbearing sometimes. They had a tendency to treat me like a child, and yeah, in some ways maybe I had childish antics. But I could still look out for myself, which I told them stubbornly, earning affectionate laughs from the company.   
“Really! I’m not stupid. I do genuinely think Snape would appreciate some cookies. Baking is just basically another form of chemistry, which is technically muggle potions, right?”   
Meyer studied me from over his glasses, before sighing and shaking his head.   
“I suppose you’re free to do what you want.” He said defeatedly, turning back to his book once more, “But don’t say I didn’t tell you.”   
“Great! Who wants to help me bake?” I said with a grin. They all pointedly looked away, and I rolled my eyes and huffed at their antics. 

Eventually it was Hermione who I had tracked down and convinced to cook with me. It was rumored once upon a time that all Hufflepuffs knew how to get into the kitchens- and while that wasn’t necessarily true, it was pretty close to true. There was a secret passage close to the Hufflepuff wing that led straight into the heart of the kitchens. I’d caught some of the Weasley kids using it once when I was a first year, and had been sneaking in to use the ovens ever since, to the delight of the house elves that worked there. They liked the company, they’d told me, and I was happy to provide.   
“They’re easy cookies.” I explained to Hermione as we carried the ingredients from the stockroom to the little area some elves had cleared for us. They said cheerful hellos and greetings as we passed, and Hermione watched them do so in awe.   
“Aren’t they unhappy, being trapped down here with no pay?” She cried. I looked around, tapping my chin and studying the creatures.   
“No, I don’t think so.” I said decidedly, and began to measure out some flour.   
“But it’s so dark down here, and they work so hard.” She pressed. I cracked an egg.   
“They seem pretty happy to me!” I sang to her as I worked, gesturing for her to pass me some milk. She shook her head at the surroundings, crossing her arms.   
“I just do not think that this is a just nor fair situation.”   
“Maybe you should ask them what they think.” I muttered, catching the eye of one particularly lazy house elf named Fizzle. She shot me a smile and a wink, and I eagerly returned in kind. “I genuinely think they’re pretty content down here.”   
As Hermione continued on with her declarations about a group that she wasn’t actually considering the feelings of, I went about making the cookie dough, spreading out scoops on a tray, and letting them bake in the oven for an appropriate 16 minutes exactly.   
“Those smell delicious.” Fizzle croaked after I pulled the sheets out and placed them on the table to cool.   
“You can have one once they’ve cooled, if you like.” I told her cheerfully. The elf smiled at me and nodded, ensuring me she’d be back to grab one. I sat on a stool next to Hermione, who still seemed in a dizzy.  
“I really do think you should ask them how they feel about it.” I reiterated, but it fell on deaf ears, and so I sighed as I continued to listen to her prattling on about magical creatures' rights as the cookies cooled before us. 

“Seems fitting that a mudblood would bring in muggle desserts.”   
Draco’s voice was sharp over the babble of students coming into the classroom, and making their way to their seats.   
“Language, Malfoy.” Snape drawled offhandedly, and I turned to watch as Draco huffed, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. I was standing awkwardly at the front of the classroom, offering the professor the open box of cookies.   
“I made them myself.” I said weakly, losing my resolve a little under the stern stare of the steady mass of Slytherins that grew as time passed. “And I was thinking that, since technically, someone could argue that cooking is a type of chemistry, which is basically um- basically muggle potion making?”   
“Chemistry?” Draco spat out, as if the word left a poor taste in his mouth, “What on earth are you prattling on about.”   
I let out a little frustrated sound, and squared my shoulders, still holding the box towards an amused looking Snape. The Slytherin kids watched with interest as Snape pinched one of the cookies in between his long fingers, and took a hesitant bite.   
He looked at the pastry as he chewed, and nodded a little, a slight look of content flashing across his face.   
“What’d you call these again, Button?” Snape said carefully.   
“They’re Rosemary and Lavender shortbread cookies, professor.” I said earnestly. One of the kids standing close asked softly if they could have one, and I replied with an honest of course, and soon everyone was reaching into the box.   
“Class, settle down.” Snape called after a few moments of this, and I was left standing with only two cookies left in the box. Draco hadn’t moved from his seat.   
“Um, there’s still a couple left, if you’d like-” I said, holding the box out to Draco as I passed his table.   
“I’d honestly rather choke on my own vomit, Button.” He said steadily, and I giggled nervously.   
“You know my name!.” I replied simply, and he lifted a single blonde brow at me.   
“Button, we’re all very glad for the treats, but please find your seat now.” Snape said sternly, and I scurried to Hermione, who was laughing at my interactions.   
“I told you, he’s a bully.”   
“Yeah, but Hermione, he knows my name now.” I squealed, and waved a little when Draco turned to sneer at us. He seemed taken aback by the reaction, and turned back towards Snape with a frustrated snort.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione had invited me to sit with her friends at dinner that day.   
“Harry will convince you,” she was telling me as we walked into the great hall, “Draco’s been harassing him practically since our first day here!”  
“Harry?” I repeated carelessly, surveying the faces of the Gryffindor house as we passed them, walking to a group of laughing boys.   
“Yes, Harry Potter? He’s one of my best friends.” She informed me as we drew closer. I recognized the name, and I informed her timidly, as we came to a standstill.   
“Boys.” Hermione said in a tone that demanded attention, and four faces peered up at us. A red head, a bespectacled boy with green eyes, a dark haired boy and a kid with short brown hair I recognized from our potions class. “This is Annie. She’s a hufflepuff- I’ve invited her to sit with us today.”  
The boy with red hair quickly scooted over, pushing the boy with glasses to the side as they tried to make room for the two of us. I smiled at them gratefully, and took my place inbetween, Hermione pushing her way to sit next to the redhead.   
“I’m Ron.” The boy said around our friend, mouth still full of food.   
“And I’m Harry.” The boy next to me was saying, bumping our shoulders together.   
“Seamus.” Said the boy from our potions class, and I nodded at him politely.   
“I’m Neville.” The fourth boy said quietly, and I smiled at him too, waving a little, which he returned shyly.   
The boys turned to carry on the conversation we’d interrupted, but Hermione pulled Harry out of it.   
“Annie has decided she has a crush on Draco.” My friend informed the boy bluntly. I gasped dramatically and covered my cheeks.   
“Hermione, you can’t just tell people!” I exclaimed in a childish tone, feeling my face flush red. Ron had also grown interested in my exclamation.   
“Tell people what?” He repeated.   
“That Annie has a crush on Draco Malfoy.”   
The two boys stared at me blankly, and I felt shy under their gazes.   
“He’s a total git.” Harry said suddenly, and quite passionately. Ron nodded enthusiastically.   
“A complete and total twat, Annie. He’s absolutely the bloody worst.”   
“Seriously the spawn of the devil.” Neville decided to add in shyly.   
“He threatened to kill my cat if I didn’t get out of his way this morning.” Seamus said earnestly.   
“I didn’t know you had a cat, Seamus.” Harry said.   
“What? I’ve had Whiskey since first year.”   
“Whiskey?” Ron reiterated, and Neville was shaking his head at the two of them.   
“You two can’t see past your own nose.” He said slowly. Ron and Harry exchanged a look and a shrug.   
“Whiskey? What a clever name for a cat!” Annie suddenly exclaimed, clapping her hands together and leaning towards Seamus, who blushed at the attention.   
“Well- I’m- yeah, I thought it was pretty great.” He puffed his chest out a little.   
“He didn’t come up with it.” Neville said quickly, “His cousin, Fergus, did.”   
Seamus shoved Neville a little, who giggled shyly.   
“Shut up you eejit!”   
“Guys!” Hermione spoke up, “Seriously, we must talk Annie out of pursuing Malfoy!”   
“I just don’t get why this would even be a topic.” Ron said with an almost pained expression, “He’s literally one of the worst people to ever walk the face of this planet!”   
“Why do you like him, Annie?” Harry said quietly, and I was surprised at the genuine curiosity that twinkled in his eye as I looked at him.   
“I mean- well, okay. He does this thing, right, where he hums when he reads?” I felt my voice go high, and cleared my throat self consciously, “And the other day he was humming Tiny Dancer, by Elton John? And I just- I don’t know, I fell in love.” I finished with a dreamy sigh, placing my chin in my hands and looking off into the distance.   
Ron made faux retching noises from behind Hermione, who elbowed him, despite the giggles around the table.   
“I guess I can see why someone might think that’s cute.” Harry said offhandedly, and every stopped to look at him. He kept his eyes low and stabbed some of the meat on his plate with his fork.   
“Harry, Malfoy is literally the worst to you out of anyone I know.” Hermione sputtered.   
“Yeah, but that doesn’t stop him from being a conventionally attractive guy.” Harry said with a little scoff.   
“What are you talking about,” Ron cried out, “Yes, it does.”   
I let out a little humph, and scooted closer to Harry, bumping our shoulders.   
“See guys? I’m not so crazy. Even Harry can see where I’m coming from.” I said with a cheeky smile. Harry offered me a small, shy smile, and I, despite feeling a little confused at the interaction, offered him a smile back.   
Conversation melted back into nonsense, and I found myself laughing hard enough for my stomach to hurt at times sitting with the five of them. I hadn’t even noticed that I hadn’t bothered filling a plate for myself until Ron pointed it out.   
“Desserts going to appear soon, and then you won’t be able to have any real food until breakfast tomorrow.” He said it with a little grimace, but Hermione was nodding from beside him.   
“Oh, yes Annie, you haven’t eaten anything yet!”   
“You’re so right.” I exclaimed loudly, quickly reaching for a small plate and piling a small portion of rice onto it, “I had a big lunch, actually, so I think that’s why I hadn’t even thought about eating! Thank you for reminding me though.”   
Neville gave me a strange look as I moved to push rice around on my plate, and I merely smiled back brightly. 

“Where were you at dinner?” Meyer asked as I bounced up to my three friends. They were seated on a windowsill outside of the first floor girls bathrooms, as usual after dinner. The brothers were at it again, this time arguing about the answer to their divination homework.   
“You’re definitely going to die a long and horrible death.” Webb was saying sadly to Otis, huffed and flipped through his book.   
“Well, you’re going to marry someone smelly and ugly and be unhappy your whole life.” He retorted back. I giggled at their exchanges, before meeting eyes with Meyer, who was watching me patiently.   
“I sat with Hermione and her friends.” I said lightly, moving to lean against the wall next to him, bumping his shoulder slightly. He sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose, looking down at the ipad in his lap.   
“It’d have been nice if you could’ve told us.” He muttered quietly. I frowned, and gave him a little look behind his shoulder. Otis caught my face and laughed a little.   
“Okay dad.” I drawled out playfully, and Meyer huffed, not looking up from his reading.   
“Yeah dad, it’s not like she snuck out or something.” Webb added on, poking Meyer’s leg a little.   
“Yeah daaaad.” Otis dragged the word out patronizingly.   
Students had started to wander back to their rooms, heading to the library, stopping in corridors to talk and catch up all around us. It wasn’t until a few moments had passed that I realized Draco Malfoy stood in a circle of friends a little across the hall from us, all talking in low, disinterested voices.   
Otis and Webb had resumed their bickering, and Meyer remained quiet after our teasing, so I was left feeling allowed to gaze across the hall at the group of Slytherins.   
Draco seemed to command the attention of everyone, leaning against the wall in a casual stance, with his arms folded and jaw clenched tight.   
There was a girl next to him with dark brown hair. Her face was round and pretty and she was speaking carelessly, as if whatever she was saying was more just to fill the air than for anyone to hear. Draco was watching her lazily, scratching at his jaw every now and then, fiddling with his ring, pushing back a stray strand of hair. As I watched them interact, my eyes slid over to the boy standing to Draco’s left, and I almost let out an audible noise when I made eye contact. I felt my face flush as the boy smirked at me, bumping shoulders with Draco, who’s attention snapped to him, and he gestured at me.   
Draco looked over, and with a burning face I mustered up a small smile, offering a quick wave. Draco looked me up and down with no expression, then leaned to say something to his friend. The boy snickered, shooting a final glance at me before saying something to the girl, and the three of them moved to leave the hallway.   
When I tuned in back to my friends, Meyer was looking at me.   
“Embarrassing.” Was all he said, and I felt a tiny ball of anger again, curling in the pit of my stomach. But I merely flashed him a goofy grin.   
“He knows my name now.” I informed my friend. Meyer cocked a brow. “He said it in Potions, when I offered him a cookie.”  
“Wait so- did it work?” Webb asked loudly.  
“Did what work?” Otis retorted. Webb smacked his shoulder.   
“Her cookie plan.”  
“Oh yeah- did it work?”   
“Well…” I shrugged, “He didn’t take one. But he called me Button, so that means he knows who I am!”   
Meyer chuckled and shook his head.   
“You’re too much.” He muttered. I frowned, and crossed my arms childishly.   
“Well, Snape liked them. He even asked for the recipe after class.”  
“He did not.” Webb said in genuine disbelief. Otis had his mouth open in shock.   
“Snape baking? When pigs fly.” Meyer was saying at his ipad.   
“It’s true! He did! I told him if he needed any help with it to let me know.”   
“Isn’t Snape blood elitist, like Malfoy?” Otis was asking Webb, who shrugged a little.   
“I don’t think they’re allowed to be biased towards students.”   
“Well, he likes me.” I muttered, twirling a strand of hair around my finger.   
“Everyone likes you, though.” Otis told me brightly, and it made me smile. Otis always knew the right thing to say.   
“Except Draco.” And Meyer always knew the wrong thing to say, I thought lamely as I felt my face fall. 

The Hufflepuff commons rooms were always bright, and warm.   
It was just one of the many things I loved about being a Hufflepuff- the atmosphere we presented around one another. Plants hung all around and the fireplace was always lit, with someone always tending it idly. We had a snack corner, and a board game shelf, and an area where someone would sometimes transfigure puppies for the first years to play with when they got too overwhelmed.   
But the common room was empty now, as it was late, and almost everyone had gone to bed. But I was up, struggling with my Charms essay. I glared at the screen, watching the blinking cursor in frustration. The fireplace was crackling lowly, and the sound made my brain feel fuzzy and tired. I sat like that for ten more minutes before snapping my laptop closed, letting out a little angry noise. I pulled a knee up onto the chair, tucking it under my chin as I reached for my phone, scrolling through Instagram thoughtlessly.   
I blinked in surprise when I came across a picture with Draco tagged in it. He was smiling, and the smile seemed to reach his eyes, which his laughter in class never did. It was from an account I didn’t remember following, but the girl proudly had Slytherin labelled in her bio. She was pretty, I thought sadly, scrolling through the rest of her account. Long light brown hair that looked shiny and healthy, straight teeth, big blue eyes. There were quite a number of pictures with her and Draco, and I wondered if maybe they were dating. Some of them were in groups, other times it was just them two, once or twice it was simply a picture of only him. One picture was captioned, “my pureblood prince <3”. It was just of Draco sitting at what looked to be a cafe, with a big cup of something sweet and warm looking in front of him. He was looking down at it, and it almost seemed shy, the way his shoulders were hunched, how his mouth was open mid sentence, but still smiling.   
I realized, in horror, that I’d liked the picture.   
I checked the date.   
It stated the picture had been posted five months ago.  
My heart hammered in my ears, and I glanced at the time. It was close to one am. I quickly unliked the photo, and clicked my phone closed, putting it face down on the table, trying to reclaim my breath.   
Who was that girl? How was she so close to Draco?  
It felt weird, being jealous so quickly after deciding I had a crush. Usually this sort of thing wouldn’t matter. Usually I would just have felt the crush ebb a little- it would disappear eventually, as they always did. As much as I liked to make big declarations of love, they never stuck around for very long.   
That’s why I’d never been able to get a boyfriend, Meyer had told me once. And it was fair- that was true. I tucked my other knee under my chin, hugging my legs close to me now.   
Would she notice? Would Draco notice? Why was I even following her?  
Suddenly, my phone buzzed, and my heart began to hammer again. I slowly, carefully, turned the phone screen to face me, and pressed the home button. There on the screen it read,   
“Draco Malfoy (mighty_malfoy) has requested to follow you.”


	3. Chapter 3

I didn’t have Potions on Thursdays, but I still wanted to talk to Hermione about what to do. I found her in the library after my last class, plopping down in front of her hunched figure dramatically.   
“I don’t know what to do.” I emitted in a whining whisper, causing the girl to jump and look at me in shock.   
“Good God, Annie, you nearly gave me a heart attack.” She hissed, clutching her chest and letting out a great dramatic sigh.   
“He requested to follow me, Hermione!” I wailed in a soft tone, whipping out my phone to show her the notification. She squinted as she read what it said, then gave me a surprised look.   
“You didn’t accept it?”   
I let out a little groan and flopped onto the table.   
“My instagram is so embarrassing! It’s basically just me and my dog. There’s like two nice ones of the Elms boys and one of Meyer wearing a flower crown but that’s it.” I hissed the last part, leaning close to her as I spoke. She let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking her head.   
“I highly doubt Malfoy cares very much about the exact contents of your instagram.” She said carefully, and I pouted, sitting back in my chair, slumping slightly. Hermione examined my reaction thoughtfully, then closed her book with a sigh.   
“Give it here then, let me see.”   
I lit back up, and handed her my phone gingerly.   
“I found this girl- some Slytherin? And there was a whole slew of pictures of Draco on her instagram. And all her pictures were so pretty and aesthetically pleasing and oh-” I sighed unhappily, “I’m sure she’s his beautiful perfect girlfriend or something. It makes me so sad to think about.”   
Hermione was quiet as she scrolled through my instagram.   
“I think you look lovely in all of these. I don’t see the problem with letting him follow you.”  
I sighed dramatically, snatching the phone from her hands and quickly pulling the girl I’d found last night. I shoved the thing back into her face, and she blinked hard while trying to focus on the screen.   
“Oh, she is pretty.” She said softly, offering me a helpless look, and I rolled my eyes.   
“I know.” I cried, flinging myself onto the table. “How I am supposed to compete with that.”   
“I mean, he was the one asking to follow you, why don’t you just accept it.”  
My heart hammered in my ears.  
“Because what if he thinks I’m lame? I don’t have any cool cafe pictures or being pretty at parties. It’ just… Me and Greg.” I stared sadly down at the screensaver of me and my great big golden retriever, who’s frozen panting face smiled back up.   
“But Greg seems absolutely darling.” Hermione said gently, turning the phone slightly so she could look at him as well. I huffed and dropped my chin into my hands heavily.   
“But Greg isn’t a cool aesthetic party friend. Hermione, I need to go to a party.”   
She raised a single brow at me.   
“A party?” She repeated, slightly taken aback. I nodded urgently.   
“Yes, if I’m going to let him see my instagram, I should at least have some sort of cool stories to post. Maybe then I won’t seem so lame!’   
“Annie, I think, if you really want Draco to like you, you should just try being yourself. If he doesn’t like you for yourself, then he isn’t worth it.”   
I mulled over Hermione’s words.   
“Like, I know you’re right, because you’re always right,” I said hurriedly, and she let out a shy little laugh, “-but I also know that I would like to be the type of person who goes to parties. I mean, all the brothers, Meyer and I do on Friday nights is watch cartoons and get a head start on homework.”   
“Sounds like a lovely Friday night to me.” Hermione said curtly.  
“Yeah but that’s because you’re always going to those Gryffindor parties, aren’t you.” I said teasingly, and she tensed a little.   
“Not by choice.” She grumbled, looking shy and awkward and she twirled a piece of her frizzy, curly hair between her fingers. “Besides, they really aren’t very fun. Everyone always ends up breaking something, somebody’s always puking, and I’m always the one carrying Harry back to dorms.’   
“But that sounds like such a lovely time.” I cried, clapping my hands to my cheeks. Someone shushed me angrily, and I winced, muttering apologies. “Such a lovely time.” I reiterated in a whisper. Hermione rolled my eyes, shaking her head.   
“The Weasley twins are having a party this Friday.” She said gently after a moment. I gasped in excitement and she held up a hand. “It’s rare for them to let fourth years in- we only really get a free pass for being friends with Ron. But I’ll put in a good word for you.”   
“Do you think I could bring the boys?”   
Hermione hummed apologetically, and I nodded, understanding what she meant. 

“I’ve got two essays due on Monday.” Otis groaned as he flopped beside me at dinner.   
“I’ve got two essays and a test.” Webb rebutted, shoving a fork into his mashed potatoes. I offered a small sound of sympathy, but I was more distracted by staring at my follow requests, still debating if I should do it or not.   
“What’re you so distracted by?” Meyer said from his place across the table, squished between Webb and a tiny hufflepuff first year who was taking up way too much elbow space for her size. He shoved her a little, and she let out a defiant squeak.   
“Nothing.” I said absently, scrolling through the instagram notifications hurriedly.   
“Rubbish, you’ve been staring at that for like ten minutes. Hand it here.” Webb held out his hand impatiently. I pouted and held my phone close to my chest.   
“Oh, come on Buttons, you can’t keep things from us.” Otis said teasingly, trying to snag a look over my shoulder. I turned my chest away from the three of them, shaking my head violently.   
“No.” I said childishly, feeling a blush creep onto my cheeks.   
“This can’t be about that Malfoy bloke again.” Meyer let out with an exasperated sound, “I was hoping you would’ve been over that by now.”   
I made an irritated face, sticking out my tongue, making Webb laugh lightly.   
“Come on, Annie, tell us what’s going on.”   
“You wouldn’t get it.” I whined, holding my phone above my head as Otis tried to wrap and arm around from behind and grab it.   
“Why wouldn’t we get it? We’re your best friends.” Webb stood, and easily plucked the thing from my hands, much to my dismay.   
“Stop!” I whined, but accepted my defeat as he tapped my password in easily.   
“Oh. It is about Malfoy.” Webb whispered jokingly to Meyer, who rolled his eyes and shook his head, turning back to the book he’d opened the moment he sat down. I let out a childish noise, hiding my face in my hands.   
“He requested to follow me.” I cried, before putting my face on the table, folding my arms over it.   
“So he did.” Otis commented as his brother held my phone up to show him.   
“I don’t know what to do.”   
“Just accept it.” Meyer said with disinterest. I show a glare at him.   
“I can’t just accept it, Meyer, my instagram isn’t ready.”   
“Too late.” Webb laughed, tossing the phone back to me.  
“What!” I shrieked, grabbing at the thing and holding it to my face. That fucking imbecile had accepted the request.   
“Easy, I did it for you.” He’d gone back to shoveling food into his mouth. I stared at my friend, dumbfounded.   
“I am never forgiving you.” I said sternly, and Otis giggled from beside me.   
“Oh come on, Annie, it’s not that big of a deal.”   
I huffed and moaned dramatically. The two brothers were laughing, teasing me, while Meyer stayed characteristically quiet on the topic.   
“You should probably follow him back, you know.” Webb pointed out after a moment. Otis nodded.   
“It’s only polite.”   
I let out a pitiful whine.   
“No way, I can’t. I’m too nervous. You do it.” I held the phone out to Otis childishly, who took it without blinking, and tapped the screen only a few times.   
“Wow.” He said, raising his brows before glancing around the dining hall.   
“What? What?” I said frantically, grabbing at my phone, which he let me take easily.   
“He accepted immediately.” He told me, nodding towards the Slytherin table. I followed his gaze, and was shocked when I met Draco Malfoy’s piercing eyes. I froze, and felt a blush all the way down to my toes. He was expressionless, but lifted a couple of fingers from his arm. If it’d been anyone else, I wouldn’t have even noticed the movement. But since this was Draco Malfoy, I took any sort of gesture I could grasp on to. My face split into a wide grin, and I waved at him enthusiastically. He looked away quickly as someone beside him tapped his shoulder, and I looked down at my phone happily. 

Draco sent me a message later that day. It wasn’t anything important, just something from the Hogwarts meme account about how annoying Snape could be in Potions. I held the phone in front of my face while I sat with Meyer in the common room. Otis and Webb had gone to Quidditch practice, as they did every other day after dinner, and Meyer was reading quietly, as he did most evenings. I wanted to talk to my friend about it, to express the bubble of excitement that sat in my throat as I contemplated how to respond, if I should respond at all, should it be an emoji, or something of more substance. But Meyer never played into my passing crushes.   
Meyer, Otis, Webb and I had been friends since day one, when I couldn’t find a place to sit on the train, and the three boys happily offered me their company. Otis was already a student at Hogwarts, but he and his brother were close, and so he hadn’t made many friends the year he’d been apart from his brother. The two of them had been orphaned at a young age as a result of a Werewolf attack, and ended up being raised by their quiet and stern grandfather. This resulted in them leaning on one another heavily for emotional support, despite their constant bickering. Meyer, however, came from a pretty stable family. He was the youngest of three, but he wasn’t very close with his brothers, and sometimes I wondered if he resented the Elms boys for their close relationship. Meyer’s whole family had been sorted into Ravenclaw, for generations, and he’d almost burst into tears when the sorting hat bellowed that he belonged to the house of Hufflepuff. He’d grown harder since that day, constantly working hard to remain the top of his classes, reading whenever he could, constantly trying to prove that the hat had been wrong, and that he truly belonged with the rest of his family. So when it came to things like crushes, dating or parties, Meyer always wrinkled his nose. He tried his best to participate when I got really excited, but I knew better than to try to approach him with it on his own.   
‘Why does it matter so much’, he’d probably tell me, ‘Why can’t you ever do something on your own.’   
I pouted to myself at the thought, and realized I’d been staring at him.   
“What?” Meyer’s voice deadpanned at me, snapping me away from my thoughts. I offered him a bright grin.   
“Nothing.” I said lightly, and he raised a single brow, before turning back to his book. I took the moment to consider my friend, his mop of dark brown curls, his thin glasses that slid down his long, crooked nose as he read, his tawny skin turning slightly pink as he sended my gaze. He looked up at me again, his brown eyes hard and emotionless.   
“Do you need something?” He probed again, sounded a little frustrated. I rolled my eyes dramatically, and he mimicked me jokingly.   
“I think I’m going to a party tomorrow night.” I said suddenly, and he blinked in surprise.   
“Okay.” He said simply. We looked at one another for a moment longer, and I suddenly felt small and nervous under his unwavering gaze. And then he was looking back at his book, and I was left feeling uneasy.   
I screenshotted the message from Draco, and sent it to Hermione, who’d given me her number ages ago to be able to help me with Potions homework.   
We settled on me just responding with a laughing cry emoji, and I let out a strangled noise when Draco liked the response immediately. Meyer, to my surprise, let out an exasperated sigh and stood abruptly. I looked up at him from the lounging position I’d sunk into.   
“I’m going to read in my room.” He said curtly, and before I could respond, was bounding up the stairs to the boys’ dorm. I frowned at his retreating back. Sure, usually Meyer got a little fed up with my bumbling antics and childish behavior, but he’d never been so obviously irritated. I looked back at my phone as it buzzed, and Draco had sent another message.   
‘Have you finished that wkst for snape yet’ it said. I chewed on the inside of my cheek.   
‘I never finish anything for snape tbh’ I wrote back truthfully, and it startled me when the typing bubble popped up immediately.   
‘Thats a fat mood’  
And then;  
‘Ive been trying to get the answers out of zabini but hes a complete prick’   
I giggled at the message, covering my mouth a little. People bustled in and out of the common room and I felt a little sad to be sitting in it alone.   
‘I dont think i know zabini’ I replied.   
‘Rly? He said he had divination w u’  
I racked my brain. And then it clicked- the boy from yesterday, who’d whispered into Draco’s ear. I hadn’t realized I knew who he was.   
‘Oh blaise?????????’   
‘Lol yeah’   
‘He said ur funny’   
‘Id thought u guys were making fun of me :(‘   
‘U do seem easy to make fun of’   
‘I know :(‘   
A moment passed with no response, and I figured the conversation must be over. My heart was hammering in my ears. I sent a screenshot of the whole conversation to Hermione, who took forever to respond.   
‘Oh wow!’ she finally said after I laid staring at the ceiling for what felt like eons. I jumped when the phone buzzed, and flipped to my stomach, kicking my legs as I responded.   
‘I know right !!!!!!!!!!!!! omg i cant believe draco is in love with me <3’  
‘Okay, calm down Annie. But he does seem a lot nicer over text.”   
I sent a bunch of smiley faces and red hearts in response, and she sent back a couple of laughing emojis.   
‘Just be careful.’ Hermione texted eventually, and at the same time I got a new message from Draco that read;   
‘We should hang out sometime’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh omg ok im so glad people are liking this bc i rly like annie  
> but teehee im adding in drama  
> im also going to intersect my stories starting next chapter, and everything happening takes place in the same universe, so if ur a fan of fred at all u can also check out my other story in which ive just fleshed out a little bit more of the world   
> but anyway yeah im starting to like this story idk   
> draco's def going to have like a jekyll and hyde type persona so get ready for some confusing flipflopping ok love u hope u enjoyed lmk if you have any suggestions for what happens next bc i dont have anything planned ok byeeee <3


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